Emotional contagion is not always bad. But when it seeks to generate anger merely to criticize, condemn, and push ends for which no compromise is sought and no valid claims of others are acceptable, it propagates hate and despair

By now it seems pretty clear that Sen. Ted Cruz has a plan to occupy the White House. But he doesn't want people to know too much about it. And he definitely doesn't want you to know about the special interests that have already begun to bankroll his political ambitions.

Regardless of who wins next week's election, we have a problem. The stampede of money, ads and anti-democratic laws unleashed this election compromise the promise of equality between rich and poor, employer and worker, black, brown and white.

"Elections are coercive ... 51 percent get to tell 49 percent how to live. So, elections are not in and of itself the character of democratic life ... Elections in America have so little to do with people -- we elect commercials."

Some of the same media that should referee political discourse and oversee the process by which a sovereign electorate selects its leaders are in thrall to the backroom players whose mission it is to manipulate and game that discourse.

Politicians do it. Journalists do it. Even Harvard students do it. Dissembling, stonewalling and outright lies all pass for political discourse these days. The culture of deceit appears to be not only pervasive, but quite acceptable as a way of doing business.

It's a system that resists any notion of serious regulation. Can you imagine the outcry that would erupt if some government agency tried to screen the content of campaign commercials for accuracy before they went on the air?

It's interesting to me that both of our presidential candidates had fathers who were born in foreign lands, one in Kenya, one in Mexico. They ultimately both found themselves in America because our nation truly is a land of limitless possibilities.